


A Sketch

by Axelflow



Series: Traveling [3]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Magic, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:09:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axelflow/pseuds/Axelflow
Summary: For those who wanted Rayllum to be more of a slow burnSurprisingly, no shenanigans this time. Tried to do something wholesome instead.
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Traveling [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721650
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	A Sketch

It had been several days since the incident with the pond. Several days since Callum nearly drowned. Several days since Rayla let him practice magic. 

“Come on Ray, just one little wind spell. I’ll keep it to a small gust. You can watch me do it,” Callum pleaded. It wasn’t his fault that his recent attempts at improving his abilities resulted in disaster. Well, maybe it was his fault. But now he felt like a child begging for their toy back. And he was asking permission from Rayla of all people! Rayla! She wasn’t even that much older than him, why did he have to ask her!? 

“I already said no magic. At least for a while. I’m getting tired of you injuring yourself. Zym and I want a peaceful trip. Isn’t that right Zym?” Rayla said, reaching up to the young Dragon Prince riding on her shoulder. 

Zym gave an agreeing yap and licked Rayla’s hand. 

“You little traitor. I thought you were on my side,” Callum grumbled good-naturedly at Zym. “Okay, fine, I won’t practice magic today but you have to do something for me in return.”

“What, was saving your life not enough?” Rayla responded, the sarcasm in her voice sharper than a sunforge blade. 

“I want to bring something back for Ezran when all of this insanity is over. And since the only other thing I’m good at besides magic-”

“Oh you’re good at magic now?” Rayla quipped. 

“Yes, I’m good at magic. But besides that I’m a pretty good artist,” Calum quickly retorted, trying to salvage a bit of his pride. 

Rayla had to concede at that point. Before getting to know Callum, she always assumed Elvin art was superior to human art. She was raised thinking humans only produced things of destruction and ugliness. But after traveling with Callum, that assumption was put to the test. The mage-in-training was able to impress her time and time again with his art. It wasn’t only that he could draw well. He managed to impart a life and energy into everything he created onto the pages of his sketchbook. To her, it wasn’t simply a talent, it was magic. In some ways she was jealous of his artistic skills. Her upbringing as an assassin deprived her of certain luxuries. She was taught to appreciate the arts but to never to participate in them. Rayla knew why something was beautiful, but she doubted she could ever create something beautiful herself. 

Trying to think past that somewhat saddening thought, Rayla turned her attention back to the conversation at hand.

“Fine. What do you want?” 

“I want you to pose for me.”

Rayla stumbled, the shock of the question short circuiting her brain. She couldn’t have heard that right. There was no chance Callum just asked her to do that.

“Excuse you?” 

“Well obviously not right now. But later, hopefully, when the sun is setting. Purple goes really well with your hair and clothing,” Callum continued, oblivious to the effect his words had on her. “Like I said, I want something to show to Ezran when we get back, and he already sees enough of me. So I thought why not draw something with his favorite elf and dragon?” 

Rayla's heart gave an empathetic beat. Callum’s love for his brother was obvious from the beginning and even during this world changing quest of theirs he was still thinking of him. And was she really Ezran’s favorite elf? Granted, Ezran hadn’t met many elves and the ones he did meet attempted to either kill him or scare him, herself included. But still, the thought was touching. 

“I’ll do it.”

“Really? I didn’t think it’d be this easy.”

“And what does that mean, exactly?”

“Well you never really seemed like someone to agree to something like this. You’re always so intense and angsty.” 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last part and counter with a request of my own. No drawing until everything else is done. The camp has to be set up, perimeter checked, and stomachs filled. Understand?”

“Okay, but I get to pick where we set up camp,” Callum interjected. 

“Do you promise not to set us up next to a Banther cave like last time?” Rayla shot back with a small smile on her face.

“It was an honest mistake! I swear, I didn’t see those pawprints,” Callum said, a small blush appearing on his cheeks. 

A couple of hours and many footsteps later, they arrived at a spot Callum deemed their new camp. It was a cliff top with a single tree overlooking the forest below them. A mountain range stood in the distance, fencing in the sea of greens and browns laid bare before them. It was nature at its most pure, untouched by no hand except time’s.

“I’ll give it to you Callum, you picked a pretty good spot this time.”

“Coming from you that means a lot. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Time for you to hold up your end of the deal. I’ve got food and the perimeter covered. While I’m gone, you’re in charge of setting up the camp.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got Zym helping me out.”

“Good point. Zym, make sure he stays out of trouble.”

And with that Rayla disappeared into the forest. Callum couldn’t even be sure of when he lost sight of her. She had a talent for vanishing and Callum never understood how she could do it even if you were looking right at her. 

“Well buddy, looks like it’s just you and me. Want to help your good friend Callum start a fire?” Callum said, turning to Zym who was lying lazily in the sun. Zym’s eyes remained closed to Callum’s proposition. 

“I’m going to take your lack of response as a no and leave you be.”

“Why am I even talking to a dragon?” thought Callum. “I think the lack of people is starting to get to me." He wandered around, picking up various sticks and stones to make a firepit with. Oh well. At least being alone let him gather his thoughts. 

“Do you think she thought it was weird when you asked to draw her?” a voice spoke in Callum’s mind. 

“She helped me hatch a thought-to-be dead dragon egg on top of a mountain in the middle of a storm that I created by breaking a magic rock. Weird has kind of lost meaning,” Callum thought back. 

“Yeah but this is waaaay more personal.”

“I don’t see the big deal. Besides all of this is for Ezran anyway.”

“Is it though?” 

Callum had never wanted to punch his own brain before, but hey, there was a first time for everything. Why did it have to say things like that? It was bad enough that he was already stuck inside his own head. Why did it have to talk back? But was it right? Was he doing this for him and not Ezran? No, that was a stupid thought. He loved Ezran and he wanted to give him everything in the world. But he also liked Rayla and AUGH why was all of this so complicated.

By the time Callum finished his own internal debate the sun began to set. The change in light signaled him to begin walking back to camp. With sticks and rocks piled high in his arms, Callum had to tread carefully, not wanting to trip and spill his hard work. 

“Zym, I’m back,” Callum announced without looking up from his feet. “Do you think you could spare some of that old dragon magic and help me light this fire?” 

Nothing. No sound except the rustle of the wind through leaves.

The absence of a response puzzled Callum. Zym was usually so chatty. Normally he’d at least give a peppy yip. 

“Zym? You run off again?” Callum said, dropping the pile in his arms onto the ground. He’d make a fire later, he needed to find that pesky dragon first. Callum began wandering around the campsite, occasionally whistling for Zym but the increasing wind drowned out any noise he could make. 

“He probably just thinks we’re playing a game of hide-and-seek,” Callum thought. “And I’ve checked everywhere but the tree. Man I really hope he’s there. I don’t want to search the whole forest and Rayla would be super mad if she found out I lost him. At least she’s not back yet.” 

As he made his way up to the tree he couldn’t help but marvel at the view before him. His travels across katolis exposed him to many wondrous sights but the one right in front him was truly something to behold. The setting sun drenched the landscape in hues of purple and red, setting the fire to the forest. The mountains in the distance perfectly framed the sun into a natural painting no person could accurately describe. The word perfect came to Callum’s mind but he had to brush it aside in favor of continuing his search for Zym. 

When he finally arrived at the tree he was greeted with a sight that truly took his breath away. Rayla was leaning against the tree and looking out at the forest, her ivory hair waving in the wind. The yellow sun reflected in her purple eyes creating a Kaleidoscope that Callum could spend hours staring at. A content smile stretched across her lips. She looked at peace, something they hadn’t experienced a lot of in their travels. Zym was curled up by her feet, looking just as peaceful as Rayla did. 

Callum wasn’t sure how long he spent staring at her but it didn’t matter. He knew he’d remember this forever. Thankfully the small part of his brain that wasn’t distracted reminded him of an important task. 

“Oh yeah, I still need to draw something for Ezran” 

Shaking his head Callum slowly reached for his sketchbook, hoping to not disturb the moment before his eyes. He began to draw and time collapsed into nothing. There was nothing but his book, pencil, and Rayla. They were all that mattered. 

Rayla nearly jumped into the tree when she turned her head.

“Primals, Callum, you gave me a start. I didn’t even see you. How long have you been sitting there?”

Nothing. 

“Callum? Hello?”

Callum’s head remained down. Upon closer inspection Rayla saw his sketchbook resting in his lap with his hand running furiously across it. 

“Well I hope you finished setting up because we had a deal, remember?” Rayla said, mostly to herself. She had seen this plenty of times with Callum before. Something would catch his eye, and he would just plop down and begin to draw. As far as she could tell, no earthly force could shake his concentration when he was like this and after the first dozen times, she learned to give up and wait for him to finish. She walked over to him and bowed down, trying to catch a peek at what he was working on. 

Oh.

“Ah, Rayla. Hi. didn’t notice you there,” Callum stuttered, snapping his book shut in surprise. 

“Don’t you hi me. What was that?”

“Oh well I was looking for Zym to light the fire and I couldn’t find him so I looked around and I went up here because I saw some blue and then I saw you and you looked really pretty and I wanted to capture it for Ezran and I guess I got carried away,” Callum exhaled, a slight panic lacing his voice.

“Wait what did you say?”

“I said I wanted to capture this for Ezran?”

“No before that.”

“I was looking for Zym.”

“Nevermind. Why did you draw me like that?”

“Like what?”

“You drew me prettier or something. I don’t look that good, I guarantee it.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I drew exactly what I saw. Maybe the light was playing tricks on your eyes?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Look, just forget I said anything, okay?” 

Rayla quickly turned away, hoping the red of the sun covered the blush on her cheeks. Did Callum really see her like that? She walked back over to the dragon napping under the tree and picked him up, her head swimming with that singular thought.  
They both began walking back toward the camp, an awkward silence separating them. The sun had all but finished setting, and the night's face was beginning to show its freckles. 

The fire blew lazily in the wind. A clear night revealed the mysteries in the sky the sun had hidden. Rayla’s head rested on Callum’s bunched up scarf. She had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had finished eating, her chest rising softly with each breath. Callum looked over to her and his heart skipped a beat. She really was one of the most beautiful people he had ever met. He was lucky to even consider her a friend. Maybe one day he’d have the guts to tell her that to her face. But for now he was content to watch her sleep under the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 3 is finally done folks and dear god each installment keeps getting longer. Part 4 coming whenever. I don't know I have finals.


End file.
